


Better Late Than Never

by CloakedSparrow



Series: Collected Bat-Family Stories [32]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Detective Comics (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Bat Family, Batdad, Family Bonding, Gen, Happy Ending, Mentions of the Super Family, Past Character Death, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 03:15:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15282369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakedSparrow/pseuds/CloakedSparrow
Summary: The Bat Family finally gets around to reading the Harry Potter books (or in some cases not). While sharing this new interest, they end up touching on a subject long avoided and Bruce has to wonder if ‘late’ is truly much better than ‘never’.





	Better Late Than Never

It started with Alfred. After finishing the Artemis Fowl books, he began looking for something else to read on a similar vein and Leslie recommended the Harry Potter books. He bought a set and made his way through them as quickly as he could, considering that he was a _very_ busy man. He did not consider the book to be high literature but he enjoyed them for what they were; some fun, light reading. They were exactly what he’d been looking for.

He also enjoyed the easy conversation with Leslie or Lucius. It always nice to have a safe conversation starter to use with any other butlers or chauffeurs he encountered while working. And, of course, it was nice to have something to talk to the children about that didn’t involve masks and violence.

Cassandra had read the Artemis Fowl books on Alfred’s recommendation and she really enjoyed them. So when she saw him reading another series that appeared to be on her reading level (she loved her brothers but didn’t see how Jason could read Shakespeare for fun or how Tim could consider Arthur Conan Doyle ‘light reading’) she took interest. She liked the stories and she read slower than Alfred, so he just gave her his books as he finished. 

Much like with their previous literary adventures, they enjoyed talking about the books even more than they enjoyed the stories themselves. Every time Cassandra came over, she would find Alfred and tell him where she was in the stories and they’d discuss the plot up to that point. She started making special trips to the Manor just to follow Alfred around and talk about the books as they worked. 

This meant that the boys soon overheard them discussing the books. 

Jason had already heard about Harry Potter and planned to read them eventually, but hearing his family get excited about them meant that he bumped them up on his reading list. He bought a used set from a thrift shop. While he could always guess the villain or solution to the main mystery of each book pretty quickly, he still enjoyed them. The idea of another, magical, world hiding under the surface of the real world didn’t sound too outrageous compared to what he’d already experienced in his short life. He especially liked discussing ideas on how they remained hidden and untroubled by the outside world. 

Bizarro showed interest in the books after hearing Jason talking to his sister about them, so Jason gave them to his friend as he finished them. He figured there was no need to buy separate copies since Bizarro took much longer to read than he did and he’d had a head start to begin with.

If Bizarro got stuck on any books, he’d turn to Jason for help. If Cassandra was stuck on the actual reading, she’d asked whichever brother was available to help her. If she got stuck on a story element, she asked Jason or Alfred. 

Dick and Tim had intended to pass on the Harry Potter books, but with Alfred and two of their siblings reading them, they decided to give them a shot. 

Dick realized upon reading the first couple of books that the series simply wasn’t for him. It borrowed too much from classics and folklores that he was already well familiar with. He didn’t consider them bad, it was just that for him, they were like mosaics that he was standing too close to. He couldn't take in the full picture because he was seeing all the pieces it was made up from and recalling where he’d seen them before. He still encouraged his family by listening and asking questions whenever they talked about them while he was around. 

Tim gave up on the first book. The story was just too simple to keep Tim’s otherwise busy mind occupied. He didn’t say that to his family, since he didn’t want them to feel like he was insulting them in any way. He didn’t think any less of them for enjoying the stories, he actually considered it a character flaw on his part that he coudln’t- it was just hard for him to focus on leisurely things to begin with and those books didn’t interest him enough to keep his focus. 

When asked, he just said that he couldn't get into it and so he gave his set to Conner’s little brother, Jon, since Conner had already read he books and given them to a book exchange. No one seemed to mind. Privately, Dick told him that he hadn’t gotten into them either. 

Jason pulled him aside and told him that he’s guessed the plots were too easy for Tim to solve and then get distracted by real world mysteries. He recommended the Detective Poirot books. After that, Jason could be found either carrying a conversation about Agatha Christie’s novels with Tim or debating whether wizarding children still needed a traditional education with Alfred, Cassandra, and Dick. 

Outside of the family and his most trusted friends, Jason never acknowledged having read the books. The others didn’t question this. Alfred, Dick, and Tim were aware that he also read the occasional romance novel. The whole family knew of his love of Shakespeare. He rarely shared that part of himself with anyone outside the family either, so they figured it was the same with his newest literary interest. Jason just liked to keep things private and his family considered it a privileged that they were included.

Damian dismissed the books as being for children when his family asked if he wanted to borrow anyone’s copies. However, after hearing Jon talk about the books excitedly to anyone he encountered who were familiar with them, Damian started reading them. If asked, he would swear it was just so he would know what his friend and family ‘were prattling on about’. Tim and Conner had overheard their little brothers discussing the books enough to know that he secretly was enjoying the stories. Once, while babysitting, they heard them debating whether Snape and Draco were villains for over two hours. 

They didn’t say anything about it. Conner didn’t care what Damian liked so long as he wasn’t threatening his best friend or brother and Tim wasn’t looking for trouble with Damian. Besides, he figured he’d save the information in case he ever needed to get Damian to be on his best behavior for an occasion. Having something to tell your older siblings that your little brother found embarrassing was the best sort of blackmail. 

Bruce tried to read the books once he realized most of his family was interested in them. He really did. But he had so little leisure time and what little he did, he liked spending with his children or using to better himself as a person of power, vigilante, or father. He learned enough about the books to know the basics when his family was conversing about them. And his kids were more than happy to fill him in on any point he seemed to miss that they felt was important. In the end, his kids were happy enough, so he didn’t worry about it too much. 

Kate was thrilled that her second cousins were enjoying something that normal young people did. That said, she wasn’t about to read through a seven book series designed for adolescents just to keep up with their conversations. She watched the films with her girlfriend so she would know the basics. In doing so, she discovered the bonus of being able to drive Jason and Damian nuts by bringing up film trivia as if it were canon to the books. It was good for them to learn to control their tempers and if she had fun with it as well, then who could complain?

None of their debates or discussions topped the day Dick found a House Sorting quiz for everyone to take after he and Cassandra had debated which house each member of the family (and some of their friends) would be in.

The eldest Wayne child had happily announced. “I got Hufflepuff!”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Jason commented as he clicked through the quiz on his phone. Then he announced, “I got Gryffindor.”

“Cool. Hey, I’m going to order scarves for everyone.” Dick was actually adding scarves into his Amazon cart as his siblings announced their quiz results. “Timmy, you done yet?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Do we really need a quiz to tell us which house our little brothers are gonna get?” He pointed to Tim. “Ravenclaw.” Then he pointed to Damian, who was glaring at his phone. “Slytherin.”

“He’s right.” Tim commented as he showed his phone before putting it away. He noticed his little brother’s hostile expression. “I’m guessing he’s right about yours, too?”

“Damn it. Yes.” Damian tossed his phone onto the coffee table and crossed his arms. “Its a stupid quiz anyway. What does your preference for pets have to do with your house designation? Or your favorite color?”

“Its supposed to give insight into your personality.” Dick smiled at his youngest sibling. “And there’s nothing wrong with Slytherin.”

“Is it really a surprise you got that result?” Tim asked with a cautious tone. “I mean, you _are_ really ambitious.”

“Their emblem is the snake because its sleek, powerful, and frequently misunderstood, just like they are.” Dick draped an arm around his scowling brother. “You’re all those things too.”

“And cunning.” Cassandra supplied without looking up from the quiz she was still taking.

“And vicious.” Jason added. His siblings each turned to look at him. Damian with a glare, Tim with amusement, Cassandra with confusion. 

Dick shot his brother a chiding look. “That isn’t one of the house traits, Jay.”

“It should be.” Jason shrugged. “Just sayin’.”

Cassandra held up her phone after completing the quiz. “Gryffindor.”

“Alright, housemates!” Jason held up a fist and Cassandra bumped it with a grin. 

“What about you, Alfie?” Tim asked their butler-slash-adopted grandfather as he came in with a tray of drinks. They’d sent him the link so he could take it too.

“It appears I shall be joining you in Ravenclaw, Master Tim.”

“Yes!” Tim held up a hand, which Alfred deftly slapped with his own as he passed to take a seat by Kate. 

“What? Why am I the only Slytherin?” Damian scowled again. 

“You aren’t.” Kate help up her phone, displaying that she had been put into that house as well. The scowl left the boy’s face, but he didn’t get nearly as excited as his brothers had to gain a housemate. 

Kate didn’t seem to mind. She called out to Bruce, who had taken a call in the other room. “Bruce, finish up in there and take the damn quiz your kids sent us. I want to see which house you get now.”

“I already took it.” He called back, his hand covering the mic on his phone. “I’m in Hufflepuff. Hang on just another minute.” He returned to his call, not noticing the sudden silence that filled the adjoining room. 

Suddenly, Jason started laughing. “Fucking hell, that’s _priceless_. Batman’s a Hufflepuff.”

Damian’s scowl had returned with a vengeance. “Why would father be a Hufflepuff?!”

“Perhaps because he is loyal and unafraid of toil?” Alfred suggested. 

“Crafty and good at hiding.” Cassandra supplied.

“He can be incredibly patient when he’s on a case.” Tim added, “And he’s very dedicated.”

“He does work hard.” Jason agreed. “And he _is_ loyal, once you earn it.”

“ _Cross us at your peril; like our emblem, the badger, we will protect ourselves, our friends, and our families against all-comers._ ” Dick quoted the house welcome letter off his phone. “ _Like badgers, we know exactly how to lie low – and how to defend ourselves._ ”

Damian checked his brother's phone when he offered it and then relented. “I suppose that _does_ sound like Father.”

“Does he know that’s what his results mean?” Kate asked. 

Jason, Cassandra, and Tim shrugged.

“We’ll fill him in when he comes back.” Tim glanced through the door to their father, who was clearly getting aggravated at the Wayne Enterprises employee he was speaking to. There had been a mix up with one of Wayne Enterprises' charity foundations and Bruce had insisted on taking care of it himself when Tim offered to handle it. “ _If_ he comes back.”

Dick looked over everyone else. “If B isn’t going to read the books then we should at least make him watch the first couple films so he knows what we’re talking about.”

“Or get him an audiobook.” Jason suggested. If his expression didn’t tell the others what he thought of the films, the warning look Tim gave from behind him made it clear. Jason’s expression changed to a smirk. “We should rig the Batmobile to play it whenever he’s not on comms.”

Tim arched a brow at his favorite brother. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to ask Alfred to play it when he’s driving Bruce? That way he’d actually be able to pay attention.”

“Leave it to the Ravenclaw to use logic when you could be having fun.” Jason rolled his eyes when he started talking, but the grin he shot Tim as he finished made it clear he was teasing. 

“You aren’t getting the tacky Halloween-type scarves with the house crests ironed on, are you?” Kate asked Dick as he was wrapping up his order. “Because I’m telling you right now, I’m not wearing that and I doubt your father is either.”

“No, these are just knitted scarves with the house colors.” Dick smiled. “Unless someone’s a Potter fan, they’ll just see yours as a green and gray scarf.”

“So B is going to be wearing a black and bronze scarf?” Jason grinned when his big brother nodded. “How many members of the Justice League do you think will assume its a Batman thing?”

“Well, Clark won’t.” Dick pointed out. “Since his kids have read the books too.” 

Damian received a text and frowned at his phone again. “Damn it. Jon’s in Hufflepuff too.”

Jason turned to Dick. “Get him a hat, too...and gloves, if they make them.” At his brother’s bemused expression, he explained. “B always gets a little annoyed when Timbers wears anything with the El family crest. Let’s see how Clark reacts to his kid wearing Batman’s colors.”

Dick grinned. “I’m getting him socks too, and a sweater. Someone has to make them.”

“The Etsy store I got my Wonder Woman sweater from makes them.” Tim commented as his phone chimed. “Conner’s in Gryffindor.” He reported. “He says Bizarro doesn’t want to take the quiz.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” Jason commented. “He’s been having some self image issues lately. This could go either way for him.” Tim nodded in understanding, as did Dick. 

Cassandra smiled when her phone chimed. “Barbara got Gryffindor.”

Jason grinned at her. “Our house is kicking ass.”

Cassandra’s eyes suddenly lit up. “We need a house competition.”

“It has to be something balanced.” Kate warned. She nodded toward Alfred beside her. “We’ve only got two Ravenclaws and two Slytherins, and none of us have super powered housemates. Although I think we could still hold our own well enough, to be honest.” She tossed Damian a wink and the boy grinned at the assessment. 

“What about something that eliminates any super powers?” Tim offered both Jason and Damian a grin, which increased each of their interests. “Like a video game tournament?”

“ _Awesome_.” Jason responded, but his words were mostly downed out by their youngest sibling’s response.

“Yes!” Damian fist-pumped before catching himself. He immediately tried to look less like an excited child, but the others were each already smiling at his reaction. “I mean, that’s a good idea, Drake. Very practical.” 

“Thanks, Damian.” Tim noticed that the other members of the family, while endeared to the three youngest members’ excitement, didn’t seem to grasp the significance of his suggestion. “The Cheese Vikings multilayer modes can go up to four teams and they have quests like capture the flag or elimination rounds.”

“That sounds fair.” Kate answered after a moment’s thought. “And pretty fun. Does everyone know how to play.”

“Not Cheese Vikings.” Cassandra answered but she didn’t look very concerned. Instead she just glanced at her video game playing brothers. “But I can learn.”

“We’ll teach you.” Jason assured their sister while Tim agreed beside him. 

“What about you, Alfred?” Kate immediately realized that something was wrong with that question by each of her second cousins’ expressions. Each wore a combination of insult, shock, and irritation. 

Alfred, however, responded respectfully. “I believe my skills are suitable to the task, Miss Kane.” He stood calmly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to begin preparing lunch.”

After the stately man exited the room, Kate looked at the others. “Okay what am I missing here?”

“Never question Alfred’s skills.” Jason warned.

At the same time, Dick explained; “Tim taught Alfred to play when he was Robin.”

Tim nodded his acknowledgement. “And as usual, he turned out to be amazing at it.”

“Naturally.” Damian sniffed. “Father wouldn’t trust Pennyworth as he does if he couldn’t handle rudimentary skills such as pressing buttons at the correct time.”

Jason scoffed at his youngest sibling. “If its so rudimentary, then how come you spend so much time trying and failing at beating Timbers’ score?”

Damian glared but Dick jumped in before his two most violent and fowl-mouthed siblings could start fighting. “Gaming isn’t just about hitting buttons and you both know it. Its about reflexes, hand-mind coordination, and problem solving. Its no wonder each of us are good at it, especially Alfie.”

“Does Father play?” Damian asked, curiosity overriding his desire to still argue Jason’s comment.

Dick shrugged. “I didn’t start playing until after I moved out. Timmy?” He offered his second youngest sibling a questioning look. 

The boy frowned in thought for a few seconds before shaking his head. “Dunno. I’ve never seen him play.”

“Really?” Jason looked and sounded confused by the fact. He frowned at Tim when his brother joined the others in looking surprised at his reaction. “Bruce never played with you?”

“No. Why?” Tim’s query didn’t sound challenging or annoyed. He was simply curious about his big brother’s question. Damian, however, looked irritated as he awaited the response too. 

Jason blinked, still looking dumbfounded. “He used to play with me. I just...assumed he played with you too.”

“He changed a lot. After...” Dick nodded toward Jason and made a gesture that encompassed his brother. The others nodded their understanding.

“When Tim first entered the picture-” Dick looked apologetically at their little brother, who simply nodded for him to continue. “Bruce didn’t know how to handle it. He tried to keep some distance. He even tried pushing me away for a while. I think he was just afraid to lose another son.”

“I was.” 

Everyone turned to look at Bruce, who was standing in the doorway. His expression wasn’t easy to read, as usual, but his kids could tell he was remorseful of the subject being discussed, but also hopeful. 

“I’m going to see if Alfred needs a hand.” Kate spoke as she stood and slipped out of the room, leaving her cousin alone with his children. 

Bruce explained without any of his children needing to ask. “When I took Dick in, I wasn’t thinking of starting a family. It didn’t even occur to me until later that I was his father, in every way that counted anyway. I was just thinking of saving him from the life I saw him being forced into.” He seemed to be looking back to the past for a moment before pulling himself back into the present.

He looked at Jason. “It was the same with you.

“But that didn’t last long with either of you.” Bruce smiled, thinking of his boys. It was small, and equal parts fond and sorrowful. “Everything changed when you became my sons as much as my partners. I was prepared to be a mentor, a trainer, a guardian. I wasn’t prepared to be a father.

“I didn’t realize how much I would worry. How often I would question myself. How much I would love you...until you were gone.” 

After another long look at Jason, Bruce looked over Cassandra and Tim sadly, apologetically, even as his voice remained firm. “I made more mistakes with the two of you because of it. It wasn’t that I wanted to keep a distance to protect myself. At least, not entirely. You see, I _blamed_ myself.”

He looked at Jason again, who stared at him like a deer in the headlights. “If I had _only_ raised you as a son, if I had put that before your training as Robin, then you wouldn't have ended up on the Joker’s radar like you did. You would have been safe. You would have been _here_.”

He looked at the others. Jason released a harsh breath and blinked heavily when his father’s eyes finally left his. Tim absently patted Jason’s knee. Dick put an arm around Damian, who looked as lost as he’d ever seen him. Cassandra was staring down their father, taking in his every motion to ensure she understood everything he was saying and everything he wasn’t.

Bruce took a breath. “I couldn’t stop being Batman. So I tried to just be Batman, because Bruce Wayne’s heart was buried alongside his son’s body. The one I was responsible for putting there. I don’t know what else I could have done to get through it, but I know I shouldn’t have pushed you away, Dick. And I never should have tried to keep Tim and Cassandra at a distance for as long as I did.

“I shouldn’t have tried to keep my distance at all. I should have just been a better father. I’m trying to now. I’ve _been_ trying...and hoping that I’m not too late.”

Bruce stood then, waiting for his children to respond as if he was awaiting sentencing from jury. His back was straight, shoulders high, mouth set. Anyone else would have simply seen Batman in slacks in a cardigan. His kids saw more. They saw that same look in his eyes as when he started his explanation, the same combination of remorse and hope. 

He was hoping they could tell him it wasn’t too late, but worried they couldn’t honestly do so. He was remorseful that he’d let it go on so long without broaching the subject. That his children might have suffered for it.

Dick responded first, by getting up and giving his father a hug. He didn’t move far when he stepped away afterwards. “You’re a great father, Bruce. You saved us. Not just the first day you took each of us in, but every day since.”

Tim nodded his agreement. “You gave us value and encouraged us to be our best selves, not just as Robin or whatever we became after. You made us better people.”

“I don’t blame you for my death.” Jason’s statement clearly surprised Bruce. He still wasn’t looking at his father as he spoke. “I was angry at you for letting the Joker get away with it, not because it had happened. That was my fault...and the Joker’s.”

He finally looked at Bruce again, after getting his emotions under control. “If it hadn’t been for you, I probably would have been killed or taken into a gang well before then anyway.”

“You gave us a purpose.” Cassandra looked earnest and loving as she spoke. “And freedom.” She wrapped an arm around Tim to pull him into a half-hug. “And a family.”

Damian rolled his eyes. “You aren’t so bad, Father. Just a touch over-dramatic...and sometimes difficult to please. Not so much as Mother, mind you, so I find it agreeable enough.” The boy gave a small shrug, as if he wasn’t sure why all of this was a big deal anyway. 

“Yeah, you’re agreeable enough.” Jason shot his youngest sibling a _wtf_ look. “Who says that?”

Damian crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Just because _you’re_ a simpleton, Todd….”

Jason scoffed. “I didn’t realize you required fine verse, brat. ‘Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud; Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun, And loathsome canker lies in sweetest bud. All men make faults.’ There; better?”

Damian blinked and frowned in confusion. Either because he hadn’t realized Jason could quote Shakespeare at a moment’s notice or because he wasn't sure just how much he was being teased. Meanwhile Tim hid a smile and Cassandra gave her big brother a small clap at his brief recitation. 

“I think what Jay and Little D mean is, you have your faults, like anyone, but the good outweighs the bad.” Dick smiled, despite the glare directed his way by both brothers named. “No matter what, you’re our father and we wouldn’t want it any other way. That stands for each of us. We love you, B.”

This time, Jason rolled his eyes. “Did you have to go full on Disney Afternoon with it?”

Damian was still glaring. “Don’t speak for me, Richard.”

Tim was blushing slightly as he cleared his throat. “Not how I’d have phrased it, but Dick’s right.”

Cassandra simply smiled and nodded. 

Bruce smiled in return. After a long moment, the atmosphere shifted from loving and forgiving to slightly awkward. The Waynes were never particularly good at extended emotional communication.

At that point, Bruce moved to sit with his children. “So, what’s this I hear about Hufflepuff’s colors matching Batman’s?”

Immediately, each of his kids were back to normal. Tim showed Bruce the house crest and uniforms on his phone. Dick and Jason filled him in on setting up Jon Kent with plenty of black and bronze clothing -something they all found amusing. Cassandra and Jason explained the traits valued by the house. Damian pointed out that Hufflepuff didn’t have nearly as many memorable characters as Slytherin.

Alfred and Kate joined them again, with trays of sandwiches and iced tea. Alfred joined the conversation readily. Kate teased them for being a family full of geeks. They made plans to have a house team video game competition with the family and their friends. In the end, they decided to break it into three competitions: capture the flag, a relay race, and an elimination round. Bruce even suggested that they should invite Clark to take the quiz and join the tournament along with his children. 

Bruce wasn’t normally one for video games or storybooks, but after nearly losing his family so many times, he found he could no longer see anything as a waste of his time if it meant spending time with them. He saw that time spent with his children as bettering the world just as much.

His feelings on Batman hadn’t changed. Batman was important. Batman was necessary.

But Bruce Wayne was too. 

He had a family to look after.


End file.
